Cougars Open Fall Season

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE softball kicks off the fall season Sunday with games against Parkland College and Saint Louis University at Cougar Field.

The Cougars start the day with a noon contest against Parkland and complete the doubleheader with a 4 p.m. game against Saint Louis. Parkland meets Saint Louis in a 2 p.m. game.

SIUE Head Coach Sandy Montgomery heads into her 29th season as the Cougars' leader.

"We have a lot of new players and a lot of things to work on," she said. "We have a very competitive, driven and dedicated group of kids who understand the end goal and want to do what it takes to get there."

The fall season usually is a chance for the coaching staff to see how newcomers adjust to the collegiate level and how much the returners have improved.

"We want to give players opportunities to see what they can do," said Montgomery. "As always some will get more than others based on how they practice and how they are performing. You'll see a lot of new faces and new lineups during the course of the fall season."

This is the first two of eight games on the fall schedule for the Cougars, and Montgomery will be watching the offense and the defense to see what needs to be improved.

"I want us to play well. I want us to limit our mental mistakes, play very hard and see how we are capable of playing," said Montgomery. "We're a long way from becoming who we will be in February."

SIUE's pitching staff includes one returning hurler from last season – Ashley Koziol. SIUE also boasts the return of Haley Chambers-Book, who sat out last season.